The Centre provides Early Learning and family support services and after the cuts have been implemented, only four such centres will remain in the borough. By restructuring the borough's Early Interventions services, the Council hopes to save £3.84 million over four years.

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comments:

Molewife
said...

To be clear: Beecroft Garden Children's Centre is one of 13 such centres across the borough slated for deregistration.

We were told at the original consultation that no centres would be closed. However, the report to the Mayor has just come out and it proposes that of the 17 Children's Centres in the Borough, 13 be deregistered for Ofsted, including Beecroft Garden. We would be left with only 4 registered Centres - Clyde, Ladywell, Bellingham and Downderry.

If a Children's Centre is deregistered, then Health Visitors, Social Services and GPs can no longer refer vulnerable families to it for support. The Children's Centres are designed to support vulnerable families and have targets set around the support they offer, on both the number of families they help and how effective that help is. If families cannot be referred, the Centre cannot meet its targets and loses it purpose for being. Deregistration is effectively closure by stealth.

The report is being given to Mayor Bullock tomorrow evening at a public meeting, at 5.50pm at the Civic Suite. If I understand the report correctly, there will need to be further consultation on the deregistration of the centres, so there is still time to make your voice heard.